


put the stars in our eyes

by inkk



Category: Bandom, Pierce the Veil
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Fluff, Gay Male Character, Halloween, House Party, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, School Dances, Slow Romance, Soccer, Underage Drinking, jaime is a total nerd, vic is popular
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 01:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkk/pseuds/inkk
Summary: “Dude, did Vic Fuentes just smile at you?" Tony asks in disbelief."I... I don't know," Jaime dismisses it. "He probably meant someone behind me.” Vic Fuentes - senior, soccer star, high school legend and local badass - smile at him?AKA the one where Jaime and Vic get together at a school Halloween dance, except Vic is in costume and Jaime has no idea his best friend’s cool older brother is even into him.





	put the stars in our eyes

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my drafts forEVER (try two years) so here it finally is! i love writing jaime as a protagonist, he’s such a great character  
>  _**DISCLAIMER: given recent allegations against mike and his subsequent departure from the band, it's important for me to add that i do not in any way endorse any of the behaviour he's been accused of. if i had written this recently i would not have included him the same way (or at all). his character here can be thought of as an entirely fictional entity independent of the person it was originally based on.**_

+

 

Jaime is going to kill Mike.

As soon as this fucking Halloween dance is over, he's going to find Mike and strangle him. But until then, he bides his time sitting down on a bench in the corner of the muggy gym, murderously waiting for ten o'clock to roll around so he can get the hell out of here.

The remnants of his costume make him feel ridiculous; Jaime's white face-makeup feels dry and flaky on his face, and the cheap plastic vampire fangs have long since been taken out and disappeared to god knows where. He looks down at his black oxfords and plots Mike's demise.

This whole mess is Mike's fault - dragging him to the dance, forcing him to dress up and then abandoning him while he wanders off to make out with a chick in a slutty cat costume, thereby leaving Jaime without a ride home. He should have just stayed home like Tony did.

For the time being, he watches couples grinding to lame Top 40's pop music, feeling equal parts bored and tired. The whole soccer team is dressed up like women, which the feminist in him finds somewhat disturbing.

He could be curled up on the couch with a blanket right about now, watching some cheesy horror movie and then falling asleep halfway through... but no! Apparently Mike _had_ to force him to tag along.

Just then, a slight, black-clothed figure parts the crowd and makes his way over to where Jaime is sitting, interrupting his irritated thoughts. He's wearing a bolero and a cape, and a mask covers the top half of his face. A black moustache is drawn onto his upper lip.

Jaime laughs in recognition as the boy approaches. "Let me guess... Zorro?" The guy's face lights up and he nods. "I'm supposed to be a vampire," Jaime says loudly over the music, gesturing to his face, "but unfortunately, I seem to have lost my fangs."

"You looked kinda lonely over here," Zorro says, "I figured I'd come ask if you wanted to dance."

Jaime's eyebrows raise. "Really?" The guy's voice sounds familiar, but he can't quite place it.

"Really," Zorro says, holding out a hand.

 _Well, what the hell._ Jaime finally takes his hand and gets to his feet, following the other boy out into the crowd of people.

"I should tell you I don't dance," he shouts over the music.

"That's okay, neither do I," Zorro grins. He finds a patch of space and starts stepping back and forth in a thoroughly dorky fashion, making Jaime laugh and join in.

It's the most fun he's had in months, and as he loses track of time, he finds himself drawing closer and closer to Zorro, almost as if there's a gravitational pull dragging him in.

Zorro simply smiles and tilts his head up a bit, and Jaime thinks, _woah._

"You should kiss me," Zorro says, and so Jaime does. The mood is right, there in the privacy of the darkened dance floor.

His lips are soft against Jaime's. Everything else - the people, the music, the stupid costume, Mike ditching him - seems to fade away until all that is left is Zorro's hand on the side of his neck and the soft slide of their lips.

"Wow," Jaime says, pulling apart to breathe, "Wow."

Zorro grins. "You're cute," he says. "We should hang out sometime."

And then he's gone.

Jaime is left standing in the middle of the gym, staring at the spot where Zorro vanished into the crowd.

 

\+ + +

 

He can't find Mike, so he ends up walking home. The next day, Jaime fills Tony in on the situation as they ride the bus to school.

"He just left me," Jaime is saying as they disembark and head for the main doors. "I don't even know his name!"

"And you have no idea who he could be?" Tony asks.

"No. He was wearing a mask," Jaime mopes, pulling the door open. "I don't even know his hair colour, cause he was wearing a hat. And it was too dark to see pretty much anything else."

"You know he's kinda short," Tony points out, "And that he has brown eyes."

"That could be half the school," Jaime rolls his eyes.

"What about that Ashby kid? He's pretty titchy."

"No way," Jaime shakes his head as they walk down the hallway, "We played Dungeons & Dragons together last year. I know his voice too well."

Just then, Kellin and Vic walk past in their matching red team hoodies. Vic's eyes make contact with Jaime's, and he flashes a small grin.

Jaime blinks. _What was that?_

"Dude, did Vic Fuentes just smile at you?" Tony asks in disbelief.

"I... I don't know," Jaime dismisses it. "He probably meant someone behind me."

"Oh, no. I saw that. He definitely meant you," Tony insists, clutching the straps of his backpack.

Vic Fuentes - senior, soccer star, high school legend and local badass - smile at him? "No way," Jaime shakes his head, feeling his cheeks heat.

"Admit it - you think he's hot stuff," Tony rolls his eyes.

"Who's hot stuff?" Mike asks, coming up behind them. "Hey, guys."

"I was just saying that Jaime has a crush on your big brother."

Jaime's blush intensifies. "I do not!" he protests. "I've, like, never even met the guy. God. And besides, I found someone else at the dance last night." He gives Mike a quick recap of the previous evening.

Mike congratulates him with a high five. "Look at you, getting some action!"

"He was amazing," Jaime sighs, "I just wish I knew who the fuck he was. I feel like the prince from _Cinderella_. And thanks for that ride home, by the way," he adds acidly.

The rest of the day is passed in a daydream-like haze. Jaime doodles Zorro's mask on the side of his math homework, and for once, he only only half-heartedly focuses on dividing radical expressions. The weather is dreary outside.

After school, he, Mike and Tony all walk over to the Fuentes' house to hide downstairs and watch a movie. The house always looks like something straight out of a magazine, and it's empty as per usual, except for the loud rock music coming from upstairs - "Soccer practice was cancelled ‘cause of the rain," Mike explains as they head towards the basement.

Jaime and Tony outvote Mike for _The Labyrinth_ , and they're just starting the movie when there comes a voice from upstairs:

"Mike, where's the fucking laundry detergent?"

All three of them turn to look at the door at the top of the stairs.

"Be right back, guys," Mike grumbles, hitting pause on the remote and getting up off the couch to stomp up the stairs.

When he comes back five minutes later, he's followed by Vic. Jaime feels his cheeks flush at the mere sight of the older boy.

Vic is dressed down in sweatpants and an Aerosmith long sleeve, his brown hair pulled back into a messy half-bun at the back of his head. He waves. "Hey, guys. Mind if I come watch?"

Tony scoots away from Jaime to make room between them on the small couch. Jaime shoots him a subtle dirty look, which earns him an innocent smile.

Vic sits down and Mike unpauses the movie. His right thigh is touching Jaime's left, which Jaime is very pointedly not thinking about, thank you very much.  
Because this is not a chick flick, and Vic is not interested, and Jaime is not enjoying this.

They only get halfway through the movie when Mike leans over and says, "Is everything ok, Jaime? Normally you'd be professing your undying love to the goblin king by now."

Jaime blushes furiously, and to his horror, Vic laughs.

"It's okay. I'd totally fuck the goblin king," Vic announces.

"Gay," Mike declares.

Vic looks to Jaime and rolls his eyes with a exasperated half-smile, like _can you believe this guy?_

Jaime gives a little shrug and grins back. His cheeks remain flushed for the rest of the movie.

He feels like it's sort of a betrayal to Zorro for him to be thinking about Vic, and the two start to get mixed up in his head. Later that night, he has a dream where Vic is steering a gondola, wearing only purple boxers and a mask like the one Zorro wore to the Halloween dance, his long, brown hair flowing freely behind him as he propels them safely through the canals of Venice.

Jaime wakes up and rubs his eyes, lying confusedly in bed.

 _Vic couldn't actually be Zorro, could he?_ Jaime wonders.

Short? _Check._ Brown eyes? _Check._

The costume, though? _No way._ The entire soccer team was way too busy wearing stilettos and wigs. Plus, why the hell would Vic be interested in Jaime, his little brother's nerdy friend?

 

\+ + +

 

Jaime goes to school on Wednesday morning with a crushed spirit and no hope of ever finding Zorro.

"Hey," he glumly greets Mike as he slides into English class.

Mike pulls out his headphones. "You're a sight for sore eyes, man," he remarks. "Seriously, did you sleep? Like, at all?"

"Nope. I'm too busy realizing that true love is impossible to find and that I'm bound to die alone, surrounded by my six pugs."

Mike giggles. "Awesome, dude." He puts in one of his headphones and taps a quick rhythm on the desk with his index fingers. "So, any new ideas about who Zorro might be?"

"Zilch. Zero. Nothing. Nada." He groans. "God, who knew unrequited love could be such a pain?"

Mike snorts. "Only every young adult protagonist ever. Oh yeah, and you and Tony should come over after school today."

"I can't," Jaime sighs, "I have to study for my math quiz tomorrow."

"You can study at my place," Mike offers.

"I was going to stay for after-school tutoring. I seriously don't understand how to divide these fucking rational expressions."

Mike says, "Get Vic to tutor you."

Jaime blushes at the mention of the older boy's name. "No way, man. Doesn't he have soccer practice after school, anyways?"

"No. They have a game at seven tonight, so there's no practice."

"I'm sure he has better things to be doing."

Mike laughs. "Like what? Texting Kellin and moping over his lack of love life?"

That was another thing about Vic - for all the time Jaime has been aware of him, Vic has never once been in a public relationship.

Jaime simply rolls his eyes. "Whatever, man. I'll come over. But I am _not_ going to ask Vic to teach me."

"Why not? Is it 'cause you like him?" Mike taunts with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"No!" Jaime defends himself, "Absolutely not! Jesus. And I'm saving myself for Zorro, by the way." Mike gets a funny look on his face, but it passes in the blink of an eye. "What?" Jaime asks. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Mike quickly replies, "I just... I think it's kinda dumb that you're holding out on some dude you don't even know."

"Maybe I _do_ know him," says Jaime, "Maybe I just don't know I know him."

Mike looks uneasy. "Maybe," he echoes.

The teacher walks in and Jaime takes his seat, pulling out his notebook and pen. He lets the subject drop.

 

\+ + +

 

The plan is to meet by the bike racks after school.

"Hey," he greets Tony when he arrives, "Did Mike rope you into coming, too?"

"Yeah," Tony affectionately rolls his eyes. "I should be studying for my physics exam, but instead I agreed."

"Me too," Jaime sympathizes. He leans against the bike rack. "Oh, there he is," he says, pointing to Mike... and Vic.

"Hey guys," Mike calls as he approaches.

"Hey, Mike. Hey, Vic," Tony greets the two of them. Jaime lamely says hello.

"Practice is off today," Vic briefly explains, "So I guess I'll walk home with you cool kids."

He playfully reaches up to ruffle Mike's hair, and Mike elbows him in the ribs - "Fuck off."

The four of them start walking away from the school in the direction of the Fuentes' house, chatting about their teachers and how their days went. Vic is mostly quiet, except to throw in a sentence or two here and there.

The house is quiet upon their arrival, and they decide to play a game of Monopoly. ("Can I play?" Vic asks, to which he acquires a unanimous "sure".)

The game quickly devolves into shady black market deals and bank robberies, and soon enough, it's time for Jaime and Tony to go back to their respective houses.

"I'll drive you guys home," Vic happily offers. Jaime calls shotgun.

Vic's car is very yellow, very small and very, very messy. "Sorry about the garbage," he apologizes.

"It's fine," Jaime assures him, flicking a stray cigarette butt off of the passenger seat. "I didn't know you smoked."

"I don't. Kellin does, sometimes, since he's the goalie and he doesn't have to run a lot."

He flicks on the car's CD player and the sound of Sum 41 fills the car. They drop Tony off first, and from there, it's only a five-minute drive to Jaime's house.

"So, how are you liking the school year so far?" Vic asks.

"Um, it's okay," Jaime says. "I've got good teachers, so that's good."

Vic nods and readjusts his grip on the steering wheel. "I don't mind high school that much, but I'm glad this is my last year."

"Really? I bet school is paradise for you compared to the rest of us losers," Jaime mutters. In his peripheral vision, Vic frowns, but doesn't say anything. The two of them pull up in front of Jaime's house a few minutes later.

"I'll wait here until you get in," Vic says with a casual smile.

Jaime feels like a small child again. (In this metaphor, Vic is the hot single dad at the playground making all the moms swoon, and Jaime is, well... Jaime is just the little kid in the corner eating sand.)

"Thanks for the ride," he says as he gets out of the car.

"No problem."

True to his word, Vic only pulls out of the driveway once Jaime has unlocked his door and gone inside. He watches Vic drive away with his stomach tied in knots.

 

\+ + +

 

Thursday comes and goes. Jaime gets an 90% on his math quiz. His mom is home for once, and she makes a casserole and tells him she's proud of him - she goes to bed early and Jaime watches TV until past the time he should be going to bed, and then he puts on a Taking Back Sunday CD and falls into a dreamless sleep.

He meets Tony and Mike at the bike racks before school the next morning.

"Hey," he greets them. "Anyone want to crash at my house tonight? My mom's not going to be home until Sunday."

Tony says, "Cool. I'll be there."

"Count me in," Mike says, "I'll get Vic to drop me off."

"You could invite him," Jaime suggests. "Um. You know, if you wanted to." Tony flashes him a shit-eating grin, and Jaime feels himself blush. "Shut up. I just want to be nice," he says defensively, "He's been hanging out with us a lot these past few days."

Mike rolls his eyes. "I'll ask him. I'm pretty sure he has practice tonight, though."

Jaime nods, feigning a polite lack of interest. "Awesome." The bell rings.

"Admit it," Tony says behind Mike's back as they walk into school, "You totally think Vic is hot."

"No I don't," Jaime reflexively denies.

He thinks about it for the rest of the day. Vic _is_ hot, he's not going to dispute that - he's on the small side, but has the lean and muscular physique of a soccer player, as well as dark, honest eyes.

Jaime shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts. Perving on his friend's older brother? Not cool.

 

\+ + +

 

School passes by fairly quickly for the rest of the day, and before Jaime knows it, he's on the bus home.

He disembarks at the stop before the one he usually gets off at and walks over to Seven-Eleven to buy chips and candy, then trudges home with his glorious haul in two plastic bags.

The guys come over around five, and Jaime's definitely not disappointed when Vic can't come because of soccer practice. Because that would be dumb, and it would feel like he was cheating on Zorro. Which he totally isn't even thinking about.

"Earth to Jaime," Mike says, waving a hand in front of his face.

Jaime blinks. "Sorry, what?"

The three of them are sitting upstairs in Jaime's room with a bag of chips and liquorice spread between them.

Tony chuckles. "Man, you were seriously spaced out there. What's up?"

"Nothing," Jaime mutters darkly, his pink-tinged cheeks betraying him.

"Oh, Jaime's got a crush!" Mike laughs raucously.

"Shut up, I was just thinking about--"

"--Vic?" Tony supplies.

"No way! That's... That's not even remotely close. Jesus. I was thinking about Zorro."

"The masked man of your wildest fantasies," Mike jumps in.

Jaime snorts. "What the fuck? No. _Ew._ Don't even say shit like that." He grabs a piece of liquorice. "You guys are intolerable."

Mike's phone buzzes from its position on the bed, and Mike grabs it. "Vic's gonna drop by tomorrow morning to pick me up," he announces, "He says he'll drive Tony home, too. What time do you want to kick us out?"

Jaime's heart does _not_ beat a little faster. "Tell him he should come around ten," he suggests. "I'm making waffles."

Mike types out a reply. Behind him, Tony gives Jaime puppy eyes and holds up a heart with his hands, causing Jaime to blush and shake his head in denial.

 _'You've got a crush,'_ Tony mouths silently.

 _'Do not,'_ Jaime mouths back.

Mike sets his phone aside and looks up, the two of them quickly resuming normal expressions. "...Did I miss something?"

"No," Jaime replies, "Nothing at all."

 

\+ + +

 

The next morning, Jaime wakes up before Tony and Mike, crawling out of the bed they shared in order to go downstairs and start making batter for waffles. The oven clock declares it 9:30AM.

Jaime hums to himself as he mixes the ingredients together, whisking them in a bowl and heating up the waffle iron. It's just about ready when there comes a knock on the door.

"Hey," he says, opening to find Vic standing on the front step, "Come on in. The others aren't up yet, but I'm just about to start the waffles."

"Awesome," Vic grins, "Free food!" He steps inside and toes off his Vans, following Jaime into the kitchen.

He takes a seat at the counter that juts out from the wall, idly drumming his fingers on the smooth granite surface. "Nice house," he says.

"Thanks on behalf of my mom," Jaime replies. "It's not exactly HGTV-worthy like your guys' place, but... Y'know. It's where I live."

Vic snorts. "Our parents are totally controlling neat-freaks. You're lucky you're allowed to stick things on the fridge," he says, pointing to the embarrassing school photos of Jaime and his many cousins adorning the front of the white fridge.

Jaime shrugs and pours a ladleful of batter onto the hot waffle iron. He spreads it around and closes the top, then spins around to face Vic, leaning slightly back against the counter. "So, what's up?"

"Not much," Vic shrugs. "My team's got a soccer game going on this Thursday, but that's about it." He pauses. "Hey, you should come!"

Jaime's heart beats a bit quicker. "What time is it at?"

"Three," Vic replies. "It should only last about two hours at the very most." A brief flash of something crosses his face, and for a second he looks almost self-conscious. "You don't have to come, though."

"I'll be there," Jaime decides. "It's on the field behind the school, right?"

"Yeah. You could just stay after school, watch us warm up for a while if you want. I can drive you home after?"

"Awesome," Jaime grins. The fact that he has very limited knowledge about soccer does absolutely nothing to dampen his enthusiasm.

Just then, footsteps can be heard on the stairs and a sleepy-looking Mike stumbles into the kitchen. "Hey," he yawns, scratching his bare chest. He goes to sit beside Vic at the counter.

The waffle is done, so Jaime scoops it out of the iron and onto a plate, quickly grabbing syrup and cutlery before handing it to Vic.

"Why does he get one first?" Mike whines.

Jaime doesn't miss a beat. "Because he's a guest and you're some strange vermin that invaded my house."

Vic laughs, cutting into the waffle. He takes a bite. "Holy shit, that's good."

Jaime blushes as he scoops more batter into the waffle maker. "Thanks, man."

Tony enters the kitchen a few minutes later, and Jaime wordlessly hands him a waffle. Tony grunts in appreciation.

Jaime cooks a few more waffles and they quickly get eaten. They're done breakfast by ten-fifteen, and the three of them leave shortly after. He stands on the front step and waves as they drive off, then heads inside to clean up the kitchen.

 

\+ + +

 

Sunday passes by like any other day, and Jaime finally gets some more reading done for English class. He mainly stays around the house and plays video games.

On Monday, he and Mike go over to Tony's house to after school to babysit his six-year old sister for a few hours, and they all amuse themselves by playing with dolls and drawing pictures. Jaime thinks Vic would have had fun.

On Wednesday, they head to the Fuentes home to watch _Inception_ for the nth time; Vic comes down and stays for the first half the movie before leaving for soccer practice. He shoots Jaime a smile as he leaves.

Thursday - the day of the much-anticipated soccer game - is miraculously and thankfully overcast. Jaime sits cross-legged on the sidelines beside the families with lawn chairs coming to cheer on their sons and girlfriends coming to cheer on their boyfriends, idly writing a paragraph for English while the boys warm up.

Vic is at the centre of the red-clad pack, stretching and talking with his teammates, his shorts and socks dramatically emphasizing the strength of his muscular legs. He looks... good.

 _Well, of course he looks good,_ Jaime chastises himself, _He's god damn Vic Fuentes._

It's a little bit breezy, but Jaime is comfortable in a black hoodie and jeans.

He watches the referee step up to the side of the field and the boys take their places. Jaime recognizes Kellin in goal and Alex as forward. He thinks maybe Vic is playing defence, but he's not entirely sure.

The ball drops shortly after and Jaime looks on as Vic's team scrambles for control, calling out to each other as they go. Soon enough they're in possession, with Alex dribbling towards the other team's goal. He passes to another boy with black-and-white hair - Jack? - who kicks it in a perfect arc, sending it soaring past the goalie and into the net. The referee declares it their point.

Jaime joins in with the parents and girlfriends who are applauding and cheering from the sidelines. He can see Vic's grin as he claps Alex on the shoulder, jogging a few steps back to his position.

The remainder of the match goes similarly. Vic's team wins by a landslide, and Jaime finds himself getting wrapped up in the game - he's almost surprised when it's over.

Vic separates himself from the pack, walking off the field and over to Jaime. He looks slightly sweaty and incredibly gorgeous. "Hey."

"You guys were great out there," Jaime grins, "That was an awesome game."

"Thanks," Vic laughs modestly. "Jack and Alex do most of the hard work for us. I have to go change quickly, and then we can get out of here. I'll meet you by the front doors?"

"Sure," Jaime agrees. Vic walks off to rejoin the others and Jaime rounds the front of the school, sitting on a bench by the main doors.

Vic comes out a few minutes later, now wearing a blue tank top and shorts despite the fact that it's November. "Ready?"

"Y-yeah," Jaime says, standing up and grabbing his backpack. He avoids staring at Vic's toned biceps. The two of them walk in silence to the car. "So, that was a great game," Jaime smiles when they reach it, "You guys played really well."

"Oh, I'm glad you had fun," Vic says, getting in on the driver's side.

"Don't you guys, like, do team celebrations when you win?" Jaime asks, shoving his backpack down by the garbage at his feet.

Vic shrugs and fastens his seatbelt. "Alex usually hosts parties 'cause his parents are rich and don't give a shit, but I don't go to most of them."

"Why not?"

Vic shoulder checks and starts backing out. "Oh, just. I don't know. They're either really boring or crazy, and there are a lot of people I don't know trying to talk to me. Plus, one time a kid took a dump in a houseplant and we all got in shit - no pun intended - from Alex."

Jaime snorts. "The struggles of being popular."

"I guess, maybe," Vic says, giving a short laugh. "Hey, do you want to stop at McDonalds? I'm hungry as fuck."

 

\+ + +

 

Jaime walks home from school on Monday, even though the rain soaks through his clothes and chills his bones. He's about halfway there when a certain yellow car pulls up to the curb beside him and the passenger side window rolls down.

"Need a ride?" Vic calls.

Jaime walks over and leans down, hearing the Ramones playing from the car speakers. "Hey," he greets the older boy.

Vic grins. "Hop in, I'll drive you home."

"Thanks," Jaime smiles back, climbing into the car and fastening the seatbelt. He holds his backpack on his lap. "God, my hair is going to be ruined," he can't help but to fuss.

Vic laughs and pulls out onto the road. "Your little afro is cute."

Jaime blushes and continues to pluck at his hair. "Soccer practice was cancelled again today?" he asks.

"Yeah," Vic sighs. "I don't actually mind that much, though. The less mud on my uniform, the better."

Jaime suddenly has a vision of Vic playing soccer in the rain, his hair wet and red knee-high socks smudged with dirt, maybe a stray smudge of soil adorning one cheek. He blushes harder.

"So... You like the Ramones?"

"Hell yeah," Vic enthuses, pointing to the radio. "I just bought their self-titled and it's been rocking my world. What about you? What music are you into?"

"Everything, I guess," Jaime shrugs. "I really like Blink-182, though."

Vic exclaims, "Dude, I fucking love Blink!" 

The two of them chat about music the rest of the way back to Jaime's house. When they get there, Vic pulls up in the driveway and the car idles for a moment, but he sits there and just looks at Jaime. Neither of them move.

Vic's eyes glance up to Jaime's hair, and he reaches out to touch it. "I love it," he says softly. "You hair. It's cute. You should wear it natural more often."

Jaime blushes as Vic's hand slowly pushes into the top and slides his thumb around to behind Jaime's ear, his hand on the back of Jaime's head. They two of them stay like that, eyes locked, caught in suspension until Jaime breaks the silence.

"I--I," Jaime he chokes out. "Um." _What?_

Vic grins, still cupping the back of Jaime's neck. He leans in slightly, and Jaime focuses on breathing.

"You're cute," Vic says matter-of-factly, his tone soft. He gives Jaime a peck on the cheek, then leans back into his seat and withdraws his hand, looking forwards and gripping the steering wheel. "I'll see you around."

Jaime takes his cue to exit the car, practically running to the front door. His hands tremble as he fumbles to twist the key in the lock, and once inside, he collapses against the door. He reaches up to touch his cheek where Vic's lips were.

_What the hell was that?_

 

\+ + +

 

The next day, Jaime is uncharacteristically subdued.

"What's up?" Mike immediately asks him as he walks into English. "You're really... quiet today."

Jaime blushes a little. "Nothing's up, man. I'm just tired."

"Vic's been acting weird, too," Mike says suspiciously. "He told me he drove you home yesterday. Did you guys get into, like, a fight?"

"Jesus, no," Jaime denies. "Drop it, okay? I'm tired as shit."

It's not a complete lie. Jaime barely slept last night, between replaying memories from that afternoon and stressing out about Vic.

He didn't even think Vic liked guys, but maybe he was wrong - otherwise, maybe someone told Vic he was gay and Vic decided to screw around with him. Jaime frowns at the thought.

The rest of the week, Vic is always at practice or in his room when Jaime goes over, and even though they invite him to hang out, he never comes. He avoids all eye contact with Jaime whenever they pass each other in the hallways at school.

It feels surprisingly shitty.

 

\+ + +

 

On Wednesday, Jaime sneaks out of class early and makes sure he's standing in front of the driver's side of Vic's bright yellow car when the bell rings.

Students rush out of the school, most of them flooding towards the bus lane, and Jaime easily picks Vic out of the crowd. He watches as the older boy approaches the vehicle, ducking his head when he sees Jaime.

"You've been avoiding me," Jaime scowls when Vic reaches him.

"I haven't," Vic insists after a long pause.

"Yes, you have!"

"I just. Can we not do this here?" he asks, looking around. Jaime doesn't budge. "Fine. I'll drive you home," Vic sighs.

The two of them get into the car, and Vic wordlessly pulls out of the student parking lot.

Jaime is the first to break the tense silence, when they're almost at his house. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not," Vic fidgets. He exhales. "Okay, so maybe I was. A little bit."

"What, did you go and have some big fucking gay freakout or something?"

Vic frowns. "No."

"So then why--"

"I was Zorro."

Jaime feels himself freeze. "What?"

"It was me at the Halloween dance. I was Zorro."

"You?" Jaime shakes his head after a moment, "You... What? No." There's a pause. "You're serious?" Jaime says, his heart racing, "You were actually-- You--?"

Vic shifts uncomfortably. "Yeah. You were the vampire with no fangs, and-- and we kissed in the middle of the gym, and it was... It was amazing."

 

“I thought the whole soccer team dressed up in drag,” Jaime says, rather stupidly.

Vic shrugs. “Not me.”

"And you're just telling me this now?" Jaime asks dumfoundedly, trying not to lose his cool. _This is too good to be true._

"I just, I didn't know if you were gay, or if you liked me--"

"Of course I liked you!" Jaime exclaims, his voice rising, "Did you completely forget what happened last week when you drove me home?"

"No, I just-- Would you just listen to me for one second--"

Jaime suddenly feels sick to his stomach. "So why did you kiss me at the dance in the first place, then? Was that just some fucked up power play? To see if I would be into it?" he accuses. He feels like he can't breathe, like he suddenly needs to get out of the car and get away from Vic.

"No," Vic shrugs, looking miserable. He shifts in his seat and looks over at Jaime. "I kissed you because I wanted to - I just... I didn't know how else to do it. I thought you just thought of me as your friend's creepy older brother, or something. The costume, well, it made all of that fade away. For a moment there, it was just you and me."

Jaime feels his anger start to fade. "I... I think I understand. But you know could have just come up to me in the hall and said hey, right?" Vic keeps on looking at the road ahead. "I mean, you could have anyone you want."

" _So_ could not," Vic mutters.

"You could and you know it. You just don't get it," Jaime shakes his head. "You're perfect. And I'm just... Me."

"I'm not perfect, okay?" Vic laughs. "Far from it. God. It's like my whole life revolves around the image that my parents are flawless human beings who have an athletic son who does well in school. But I'm not that guy. I'm gay, and I'm an idiot, and I skipped school so much I almost failed junior year, and everything is... It's a lie. It's all fake." He takes a deep breath. There's a pause. "Sorry, Jaime. I'm just trying to tell you the truth."

Jaime takes a second before responding. "I don't care," he finally says, "I know you're a good person." He crosses his arms. "I know you put on a big façade at school, okay? I know deep down you're not really like that. But I... I don't care. I like you when you're with me."

"But I'm saying want to be with you," Vic automatically responds, his voice filled with honesty as he pulls into Jaime's driveway. "I want to kiss you, and I want to hold your hand and I want to buy you dinner and do stupid things that couples do. I... I really like you, Jaime. I do."

Jaime feels his cheeks start to flush. "Oh my god," is all he can say. "Vic, I need to think about this for a while."

"Okay," Vic agrees, his expression crestfallen.

Jaime sighs. "Look, I'm not saying no. I just need time to think, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." Vic taps his fingers. "I didn't... I didn't mean to lie to you or anything. You gotta know that."

"I do, Vic," Jaime replies, "I do."

He gets out of the car and watches Vic drive away, then goes in the house and trudges upstairs to his room. He flops face-first down onto the bed.

_What have I done?_

 

\+ + +

 

Jaime calls in sick on Thursday. His mom is gone by the time he wakes up, so he doesn't even have to put on a show to convince her, just goes onto her email account and sends a brief explanation why he won't be there today.

He doesn't normally skip school, but he just can't deal with facing Vic - instead, he lazes around the house and watches TV, then bakes some cookies in an effort to take his mind off of said person.

Even dancing around the kitchen to Bob Marley can't cheer him up today, though. He feels serious and downtrodden.

It's funny; Jaime always thought having a boy to like him back would be a monumental occasion marked with confetti and banners, but now that the day has come, he's mostly unsure of how to proceed.

Does he tell Vic he likes him back? Part of him is still worried this whole thing has just been a big, fat joke to pick on the queer kid. _But Vic seemed so sincere..._

And if he did say yes, then what would happen? Vic isn't out of the closet at school yet, and it's still only November. Would Jaime be expected to keep their relationship a secret for half the year? And how long would said relationship even last, what with Vic going off to college next year and Jaime continuing in high school?

 _God. Why does everything have to be so complicated?_ he wonders as he finishes scooping cookies onto a baking tray. Just then, his phone buzzes in his pocket - it's Tony.

_Dude where are you? Are you sick?_

Jaime quickly types out a reply. _Kinda. I'm skipping. I'll tell you later._

He sets his phone down on the counter, ignoring the way it buzzes a few times to alert him of Tony's apparent curiosity.

Jaime sighs and rests his head in his hands. How and when did this become his life?

 

\+ + +

 

Jaime doesn’t have an excuse to skip again on Friday, so that morning, he reluctantly walks to the bus with The Pixies in his headphones and a weary shuffle in his step.

The day passes in a blur. Jaime barely responds to Mike’s wisecracks in English and eats lunch alone in the library. Before he knows it, it’s the end of the day and they’re walking to Tony’s house. Vic has been MIA all day, and for that, Jaime is thankful.

“Hey, the drama kids are hosting a huge party tonight, you guys wanna hit it up later?” Tony asks.

Mike perks up. “Whose house?”

“Tino‘s, I think,” Tony shrugs. “Jaime, you in?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Jaime starts, “I don’t really like parties, and—“

Mike rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, and whatever happened last time. It’ll be fine, bro.” He knocks Jaime on the shoulder, making him catch his balance and step on the lawn beside him.

Jaime shoves him lightly back. “I’m serious. All of Tino’s drama friends are seniors. I’ll make a fool of myself.”

“Just don’t drink,” Tony suggests.

Jaime shoots him a dark look. “It’s not like I need alcohol to make poor decisions,” he says.

Beside him, Mike snorts. “Let’s just go, okay? We don’t have to stay for very long,” he says, and that’s how Jaime finds himself sitting on the couch of a stranger’s house, a blue plastic cup filled with 7-Up in hand.

Tony and Mike have long since disappeared to God knows where, leaving him uncomfortable and alone. And awkward. So, so awkward.

“Hey,” a girl says, “Can I sit here?”

Jaime looks up and nods. “Yeah, for sure.” He thinks maybe he recognizes her from English last semester, but he can’t be certain. She’s very pretty, if he were into chicks.

“You’re Jamie, right?” she asks, leaning towards him.

“Uh,” Jaime stalks at the complete mispronunciation of his name, “Yeah. That’s me.”

She grins widely. “I’m Hope. What are you drinking?”

“7-Up,” Jaime says dumbly, then immediately realizes that he should have lied when he sees her grin get a bit wider.

“Let’s go get you a real drink,” she says.

An hour and quite a few drinks later, Jaime is feeling better than he has in days - mainly, since the incident with Vic. “You’re great,” he tells Hope. “We should— We should hang out sometime.”

“Or we could hang out now,” she giggles playfully. “Come on, follow me.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean—“

She’s already moving away, past the throng of theatre kids, clearly meaning for him to follow. Jaime’s brain is a bit fuzzy and he doesn’t really want to go after her, so he goes back into the living room instead, lurching only a little bit. He sees Tony talking with Phil over by the TV, but Mike is nowhere to be seen.

Jaime kind of wants to go home.

He starts to go towards Tony, and then the front door opens and a massive, deafening cheer goes up all around him.

“ _Soccer team’s here!_ ” someone yells.

 _Oh, shit._ Jaime is definitely not sober enough for this, but he’s sober enough to know that he needs to get the fuck outta dodge. He stealthily sneaks to the exit of the living room and starts clumsily climbing the stairs with the sole objective of being absolutely anywhere but here.

He hastily runs into the bathroom at the top of the stairs and shuts the door behind him, then looks in the mirror with hands braced on the counter.

His hair is starting to curl a bit from where he flat-ironed it earlier in the day, his eyes unfocused, skin pallid and a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel too good.

He makes it to the toilet just in time to have the contents of his stomach rise in his throat. Jaime falls to his knees and vomits, eyes shut tightly. He coughs and wipes his mouth. “Eugh.” He sits down with his back resting on the bathtub, head leaning backwards.

After a minute or two, there comes a knock on the door. “Go away,” Jaime calls grumpily.

There’s a sign on the other side. “It’s Vic.” A pause - “I saw you go up the stairs, Jaime. You’re not sneaky.”

Jaime huffs a breath. _Why now?_

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

There’s another lengthy silence, and then the handle turns and the door swings inwards regardless. Vic stands there awkwardly for a second - he’s wearing a red shirt that’s fitted around his arms and chest, with tight jeans and his hair in a bun, and in this moment, Jaime really fucking hates how good he looks.

“You okay?” Vic says, leaning against the counter.

“I’m fine,” Jaime replies, the words coming out sharper than he means them to. “Sorry. I’m alright. Just having a rough night.” 

Vic stands there in silence, leaning on the counter and looking extremely hot, clearly waiting for Jaime to say something further.

“Why are you even here? Don’t you have anywhere else to be?”

“We were hanging out. Thought we’d stop by and see Tino. I do have friends, you know. And we can’t avoid each other forever.”

“This isn’t exactly the best time,” Jaime grumbles in return

“Yeah, well,” Vic says with a hint of laughter, “I don’t think there is a ‘best time’. Let’s get it over with.” He reaches over to close and lock the bathroom door, and then there’s another long, pregnant pause.

“Did you— Did you actually mean any of that?” Jaime says, closing his eyes and rolling his head back. “That shit you said the other day. That you wanted to… to kiss me. And hold my hand.”

“Yeah,” Vic answers him. “Every word.” He only sounds a little bit sheepish.

Jaime cracks one eye to look at him. “Really? You mean— You like me?”

Vic shrugs. “Yep.”

“Shit,” Jaime groans. “I’ve been— I’ve been a real dick about this.”

“It’s okay, Jaime,” Vic says. He sounds earnest. “I came on really strong the other day, and. Well. This whole thing is pretty new to me, too. I… I’ll give you space if you need it, or…” he trails off. “I just like you. And I don’t know what that means, but I hope you feel it too.”

Jaime can’t help but to smile a little bit at his nervous manner. “Dude, of course I like you. I’ve liked you from a distance since I first met Mike,” he admits. “Just you’re so cool and popular and I thought… I thought the other day was, like, a joke or something. And then— you were Zorro, and… wow. It was a lot to take in. But I like you, okay?”

“Okay,” Vic grins. “Okay. That’s a start.”

 

\+ + +

**Author's Note:**

> kudos are amazing & drop a comment to let me know what you think!


End file.
